1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a physical exercising apparatus, and more particularly to a variable resistance aquatic exercising device for therapeutic exercising of an individual's arms and legs and associated muscle systems.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the past, various exercises have been devised and used to condition the body. Most of these exercises condition and strengthen the muscles of the arms, legs and associated parts of the body by subjecting the arms and legs to resistance as they move from one position to another. The degree of strengthening and conditioning produced by these exercises is related to the magnitude of the resistance and the duration of the exercising. One such exercise involves the lifting or moving of weights as individual units or in association with mechanical devices. To increase the magnitude of the resistance in this exercise one must increase the size of the weights; but using heavier weights increases the risk of injury. An individual performing the exercise with heavy weights may drop them and injure himself; he may encounter problems in balancing the weights or keepng his balance and injure himself; or he may find it difficult to abort the exercise if his strength fails him in the middle of a movement.
Another exercise involves performing various movements in a body of water and using the resistance provided by the water to strengthen and condition the arms, legs and associated parts of the body. There are a number of advantages in using this form of exercise. First, the individual performing the exercise does not have to use weights, springs or other mechanical devices that increase the risk of injury. Second, the stabilizing effect of the water helps him keep his balance. Finally, he can abort the exercise during a movement without risk of injury.
Exercise devices designed to take advantage of water resistance in a body of water are known; but they suffer a host of disadvantages or disabilities. Most of these devices require that the user only wear them on either his feet or his hands. This restriction prevents the user of the device from performing certain movements and exercise routines which would strengthen and condition muscles affected by such movements or routines. Some devices provide mechanisms to vary the resistance to movement through the water; but they use complicated valve arrangements for this purpose, mechanisms that increase and distribute the resistance unevenly, or mechanisms that vary the resistance only slightly because they do not significantly vary the effective surface area of the device. The exercise device of the present invention avoids these problems. It is a simple device that one can attach to any part of an arm or a leg, hand or foot. The user can adjust the exerciser to vary the resistance to water easily and distribute it evenly.